By Ellen Beardmore

The man to replace veteran MP David Blunkett admitted he had ‘enormous shoes to fill’ after easily securing victory for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough.

Harry Harpham, former deputy leader of Sheffield Council, said he was ‘very happy and very privileged’ to be the seat’s new Labour MP.

He said: “We’ve got a great team in Sheffield that is going to have to work together to make sure that we fight for Sheffield - it was just a pity that we couldn’t get that little bit more in Hallam to make it a clean sweep in Sheffield with Oliver Coppard rather than Nick Clegg.

“With the Conservatives, there is going to be more austerity, they’ve already said that the cuts which are to come are more severe than those we have already had.

“The bedroom tax, which affects the most vulnerable in our society, is just one example of what has already happened.

“I will make sure that I fight Sheffield’s corner in Westminster and voice what my constituents are saying, and how they are suffering.”

Mr Blunkett stood down this year after a political career which he started as a councillor, then leader of Sheffield Council, before becoming elected as an MP in 1987 and then rising through the ranks to Home Secretary,

Mr Harpham admitted that he had ‘enormous shoes to fill, as everyone has been telling me for the last six to seven months.’

Mr Blunkett joined him on the campaign trail.

He added: “We had a great campaign, right up until the end people were stopping us in the street and saying we are going to vote for you.

“Now I will be going down to the House of Commons on Monday to sort out an office everything else that I need to do their.”

Ukip candidate John Booker - who was the first Ukip councillor to be elected to Sheffield Council last May - came second place in the seat, with 8,856 votes.